My article is also "not the answer", but it IS a means for critical thought discussion about lowering statistics of gun violence, especially among children.
A colleague wanted to expand on my perspective, and take a look at the Concealed Weapons Permit, and its influence on violence. So, I formulated a list of pertinent questions and here they are, along with results and commentary. Feel free to add whatever you think may help.
Thank-you for reading, and for your civic activity. It is appreciated.
LBCC Students
The LBCC Gun Survey questions were:
1) Do you own a Concealed Weapons Permit?
2) Should a permit issued student, be allowed to carry a firearm on LBCC's campus?
3) Should Security personnel be allowed to carry concealed?
4) Should LBCC have a stronger police presence?
5) Should "assault weapons" and ammo be banned?
Interesting questions indeed, and a lot of credit here to Mike Rivera for collaborating on them. The most daunting task, was to get people to actually talk about guns. My camera had most folks a bit apprehensive to be on record. "I just take photos," I reassured most of them.
The first question was a great opener(Thanks Mike!), and generally was answered with a "no", and while this is not surprising, what was surprising was that many were curious about the question. Some asked if I had a permit(I do), and others asked if the concealed weapon permit process was in jeopardy. One person asked, "Is the government taking ALL the guns?"
The results were 15 Yes & 170 No.
The second question was about using the permit on a campus such as LBCC. The idea is to grasp the safety status quo, and the perspective among college dwellers, in regard to a "gun culture" that may exist, or is even destined to exist.
The results were 130 Yes & 46 No.
Question #3 was fairly straight-forward. Security have a job to "secure" the campus. It was not at all surprising to see a favorable approach to trained security staff.
The results were 152 Yes & 22 No.
The status quo of police was not debated. It was merely asked, if campuses like LBCC need a stronger police presence. This question posed some issues with non-LBCC people surveyed. I simply asked if any campus needs MORE police.
The results were 30 Yes & 152 No.
The final question was about a ban, whether on assault weapons, or ammo, or both...In retrospect, this question should have been expanded to ask for suggestions for curbing gun violence. It would provide for awesome feedback, some which may be an excellent solution.
The results were 48 Yes & 138 No.
9mm semi auto, the author's first line in home defense.
The results of this survey are not uniform, as some answered partially. Others just had opinions about certain questions, and some did not want to comment on particular questions. As expected, I saw more pro-gun from males, and less opinions that were "loud" from women. Generally the response was "rights" and "morals", rather than a lead-in to discussions for solutions.
What does the survey say? Well, obviously that people will defend their 2nd Amendment rights, but also the opinion was obvious about government intervention: Your rules don't work! Most people I interviewed, honestly wanted the public to remedy this in the way of "church morals", and that is okay, but I believe the survey says more.
I think the survey spells out the need for better education at the grade-school level. The arena of guns should be taught, as well as society's problems in regard to guns. In my opinion, if kids knew the real consequences, before a scene like Clackamas unfolds, they may be able to avoid it, or even prevent it. In either case, children's lives are saved.
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